Marty Beebe

Einstein In Vietnam Marty Beebe

Dressed in OD green military garb, Einstein stood near camp Enari main gate. He wore a combat helmet, flack jacket, and carried C-rations, two canteens of water, an M-16, and plenty of ammunition. He stood there trying to bum a ride from troop transport vehicles and jeeps exiting the military base. Einstein hoped to travel northward on Highway 14 to arrive at the firebase called LZ Haze. Yes, he is, Absent With Out Leave and would be so for a few days. He has a friend stationed at Fire Base Haze and hopes to spend time visiting him. Perkins is his name. Einstein and Perkins completed six-week basic training at Fort Ord, California. To clarify Einstein's days of AWOL in-country South Vietnam were moments of opportunity. He would roam away from camp on his days off. He never abandoned a post. He went on patrols known as three-day perimeter sweeps. Pulled bunker or tower guard duties. In the first forty-five days as a combatant he never failed to obey direct orders. He fulfilled the greatest and menial tasks all without complaining. At LZ Haze, his physical presence was immediately recognized. The camp head honcho ordered him to process in and to be counted among the able-bodied troops. Einstein did not check-in because he was there illegally. He hunkered down in the bunker with Perkins and lived off his c- rations. On the morning of the third day, Einstein split before sun up. Catching a ride in a mail truck aiming for camp Enari sitting amongst various duffle bags of cargo. Returning south, the original steel girder bridge (built by the French most likely) he crossed only days before had been destroyed. The US military installed a temporary flat pontoon bridge. On this bridge, South Vietnamese soldiers and civilians traffic were going south, and US personnel with armored equipment were heading north. Both obstinate parties stood at a standstill. Neither side were willing to budge an inch. The vocal outrage and arguments were heated and getting hotter. Einstein parted company with the ride that got him to the bridge. He decided to cross on foot. Army Republic of SouthVietnam (ARVNs) and a few choice civilians balked at his hapless presence as if the ordeal were his fault. He understood enough Asian dialects to know they disliked the entire situation. Who didn't?ARVN's at the time are considered equivalent to our baby faced US Cub Scouts, only armed. Passing armored vehicles deuce, and half filled with uninformed males, He ignored 'em and proceeded dodging machines and equipment walking the narrow egress. As Einstein stepped past the center point of this gridlock, he came face to face with a good friend of his from basecamp. His buddy sat behind the steering wheel of a jeep. He held a shocked facial expression, eyes wide open darting to his passenger. He raised his eyebrows and quickly motioned his head toward his right. Einstein witnessed his commanding officer exiting the jeep, peered to the right side of the bridge. He stepped onto the narrow walk way engaged in conversation with an ARVN leader. Both men shouted at the other. As his commander climbed back into the jeep, Einstein readily dropped out of sight. He hunched over bent kneed and split the scene. Turns out, the Commander was on his way to LZ Haze searching for an AWOL Know-it-all.